Read – reflect – respond (in prayer, silence, possibly a comment)
Lectio Divina – sacred reading
John 15:1-11
Jesus the True Vine
15‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. 2He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes* to make it bear more fruit. 3You have already been cleansed* by the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become* my disciples. 9As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
I have always been a big fan of the Biblical analogies to growing plants, as I have enjoyed watching little trees I’ve planted over the years that were little more than a stick grow into sturdy tall trees. I had a cactus that I got on a field trip to a greenhouse when I was five years old live till I was 42 years old. We grow, we have good years, bad years, years that bear much fruit, years that don’t bear much fruit at all, years where we lose part of ourselves from insect infestation, and years where we bloom and flourish like nothing we’ve ever seen. The idea to me of Jesus as this patient gardener who cares for his garden with no expectation of “outcome” but enjoys the day to day and year to year of how we grow and respond to his care, is a very comforting one!